Choosing the right name for your four-legged bestie can be such a difficult task. Most horses have their passport name, stable name, show name, and then about half a million nicknames everyone will end up calling them by. But choosing the original names for horses that suits them and their personality is important for both your horse’s identity and your bond with them too.
To make your life a little easier, we have compiled a list of some of our favourite and cutest horse names to help you give your horse the perfect title!
Names for fillies and mares
A strong “ee” sound at the end of names is very popular with owners of fillies or mares; as are human-sounding names.
The Top 10 female horse names:
- Rose
- Ruby
- Bella
- Molly
- Poppy
- Tilly
- Millie
- Lady
- Lucy
- Bonnie
These are our top ten female horse names, with many of these names featuring in the top ten list of all horse names.
Names for colts and stallions
Owners of male horses also show a slight tendency to favour names with a strong “ee” sound at the end but also choose traditional male names which are fairly gentle as opposed to being aggressively masculine.
The Top 10 male horse names:
- Jack
- Charlie
- Billy
- Harry
- Bailey
- Alfie
- George
- Murphy
- Bobby
- Paddy
These are our top ten male horse names, with many of these names featuring in the top ten list of all horse names.
Horse names based on your favourite movies
Admit it, a good chunk of your childhood (and adulthood) was spent screaming “horses” while pointing out of the car window and daydreaming about what it would be like to ride and own your favourite movie horses. We have compiled a list of ours and your top movie horse names that you might want to use on your own four-legged friend. Warning ⚠️, these names may cause nostalgia!
- Spirit (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron)
- Secretariat
- Seabiscuit
- Joey (War Horse)
- Hidalgo
- Shadowfax (The Lord of the Rings)
- Maximus (Tangled)
- Black Beauty
- Silver (Lone Ranger)
- Pilgrim (Horse Whisperer)
- Mister Ed
- Flicka
- Misty
- Fury
- Trigger
- The Pie (National Velvet)
- Angus (Brave)
- Fritz (Django)
Names for all horses
Of course, you don’t have to name your horse by a distinctively male or female name and some owners prefer the unisex option. These tend to be more abstract with no human names recorded in the top ten unisex names which consist of:
- Star
- Blue
- Magic
- Storm
- Beauty
- Spirit
- Splash
- Dancer
- Breeze
- Puzzle
The definitive top ten names for horses
Here it is, the moment you have all been waiting for! When combined together, the top ten list of horse names for both males and females there stands as follows:
1. Rosie
2. Jack
3. Charlie
4. Billy
5. Ruby
6. Bella
7. Molly
8. Poppy
9. Harry
10. Tilly
Once again, you can see a general trend that favours human names over quirkier or more abstract titles. Names which end with a strong “ee” sound also make up the vast majority of the list as only Jack and Bella deviate from this pattern.
Naming your horse
While you may have a horse name already picked out or want to choose something unique and special for your equine, there is no reason why you can’t consider some of the popular names from these lists for inspiration.
Naming a horse is like naming any other animal – you want to get it right and ensure the name you pick reflects the horse’s personality and sounds great when used at events or elsewhere so think carefully before you choose.
Ensure you are happy with your selection and consider whether you want a normal human name to humanise your horse or prefer something more abstract.
Once you’ve made your choice, consider investing in personalised signage, rider wear and equipment to really show your dedication to your horse. This can also be a great way to get young riders involved in the naming process and help them fall in love with their horse immediately.
Have a new young edition to your family? Shop our foal gear and get them all kitted out!
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